


It's Tea Time Somewhere

by EtherealNyx



Series: Pre-Game Galar Works [9]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, if you wanna split hairs, two bros chilling in a diner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-11-01 22:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20535602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNyx/pseuds/EtherealNyx
Summary: Contacts, cafes, and cakes - oh my!In which I type another cheesy thing because no one stops me, ever, and that amount of power is alarming for one person to hold.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [despotcito](https://archiveofourown.org/users/despotcito/gifts).

> I'd like to formally apologize to anyone who is about to read this level of cheese. I'm so sorry. 
> 
> I'd like to extend my apologies specifically to the lovely commenter this is dedicated to. Thank you so much yet again. I'm still crying.
> 
> Anyway, beyond that, this made me smile, so it'll hopefully make other people happy too! Enjoy!

_ Can’t seem to catch your rival’s eye? Try our new contacts! Sparkling, shiny, stunning! You’ll never go back! _

\- an ad found in Poké Magazine

* * *

Victor shifted in his seat, unable to get comfortable. Zacien give him strength. On the outside, he looked vaguely queasy. On the inside though? Well, that was a whole other hot mess.

_ Is this a date? No, probably not. But is it? I mean, there are so many couples here. Only, we’re not a couple. But is he hinting at it? I must be missing his signals! Is this all in my head? What does he  _ want _ ? _

He did the reasonable thing, if ‘reasonable’ was suitable for describing trainwrecks now. “You l-look nice today!” This was blurted out at a borderline obnoxious volume.

Hop lowered his menu and grinned back, unbothered by his blunder. “Thanks! You too!” His reply was delivered with an ease that Victor envied. If only he could compliment the boy back like that! 

He lifted his own menu, putting it up as a shield between them. His face felt searing hot.  _ Was that flirting? No, it’s all in my head. Right?  _

The boy on his mind interrupted his train of thought. “Whatcha gonna order? It’s my treat!” 

“Oh, no, no, don’t bother!” Victor said hastily. “I can pay for myself! I have a little cash on me.”

Hop pouted. “But I want to!” 

_ Uh oh.  _ He thought.  _ It’s the courtesy trap.  _

If he refused, he’d feel like shit. And if he didn’t pay for himself, he’d feel like shit. Catch-22.

“... Okay.” Victor groused. “But only because I know you’ll poke me until I let you. Can I please pay the tip at least?”

His rival shook his head, a mischievous smirk on his lips. “Don’t sweat it, Vic. You don’t have to do a thing.”

Getting lost in Hop’s eyes was far too easy, but he carefully averted his gaze. “I think I’ll have their red velvet cake.”

“Drink?”

“Lavender tea if they have it, Earl Grey if they don’t.”

Hop winked at him. “Roger that, captain! I’ll go order; gotta walk up to the front.” 

His swoon wasn’t all that obvious these days. The new reality of getting to be his crush’s rival had been hard to adjust too at first, but he was managing. Victor hadn’t anticipated how many new worries would crop up though.

People  _ liked _ Hop. He was more popular than ever before, and it showed. More and more people knew him first as Hop, and second as ‘the champion’s little brother’. That had always been what he wanted. Victor loved that he was getting the recognition he deserved. Still, he could do without the pressure.

Everyone expected Hop to be exceptional, but they expected his  _ rival  _ to be all that and more. He was constantly on his toes, trying his hardest to get his team up to the standards of Hop’s fans. How else could he prove himself as an equal? How else could he keep Hop’s attention?

Once, he wrote about how he wanted to be at his friend’s side forever. Now, he was stressing over how to keep his place there. Life was funny like that.

Maybe he’d buy those contacts after all. Green was a nice color. He could even splurge and go for pink! Yes, that  _ would _ be nice.  _ And then he’d call them  _ pretty _ , and I’d say he’s prettier…  _

“What are you smiling about over there?” His sudden appearance brought the fire back to his cheeks. 

“N-Nothing!” Victor squeaked, instantly going on the defensive. “I was thinking about contacts!”

Hop cocked his head. “Like… in your phone?”

“No, cosmetic ones!”  _ Shut up, shut up, stop talking.  _ “Uh, do you think I’d look good with pink ones?”  _ STOP, YOU IDIOT!!!! _

His crush leaned forward, eyes squinted. “Hm…” Was he really thinking so hard about it? It was just a dumb question! 

“Nah!” Hop declared, sounding… proud? “You’re cute enough without them.” 

_ Cute?!?  _

There were a few things that always made Victor blush. Hop loved to hold hands. He loved nicknames, hugging, and genuine compliments that filled him with warmth from top to bottom. But this was new. This was special. 

“At least, that’s what your fans say!”

…  _ Nevermind.  _

Hop was just being nice. Of course! He was such a good guy. 

“Thanks.” He said softly, barely able to hear his own voice. 

His friend’s face fell. “What’s wrong, Vic? Even if they like the all-natural look, you can still do what you want! Who cares what they think?” 

“Don’t worry. It’s not about the fans. I’m good.” His smile felt a little wobbly, almost alien. “I don’t really pay attention to mine anyway. Yours are funnier!” 

“You really should though!” Hop chided. “The more followers you have, the more sponsors will pay attention to you!” 

“Well, I don’t- Thank you!” Victor took the plate and cup from the waitress with a smile. “I don’t really think I  _ need _ sponsors. I’m not that special.”

Hop thanked the waitress before replying; he was nice like that. “It’s not  _ about  _ being special. No one is! It’s about giving yourself opportunities! You gotta network  _ somehow _ .”

“Still.” He insisted. “I’m fine, I promise. I won’t fall behind, and I won’t let you down.”

“Oh, I know  _ that _ .” Hop waved his words away with a sweep of his hand. “You never could.” 

Victor immediately stuffed his mouth with cake before he could say something stupid. 

They ate for a while in silence. He couldn’t help but drink in the decor with his eyes. Pink, red, pink, red, white… 

“Oh!” Hop perked up. “Do you like the cafe? I never asked! It’s spring themed, I think.”

“M-More like love themed…” Victor ventured nervously. Watching him become sheepish was almost worth the risk of leading the conversation there. Almost.

“Well… I guess, yeah. B-But you  _ like  _ that stuff, right?” He glanced over at him, uncertain. 

There was a pattern here, one that he knew well.  _ He  _ could be nervous, but whenever  _ Hop  _ felt that way, Victor felt like he could burst from the sudden rush of confidence.

“Of course I do!” He said firmly. “You picked a lovely place!” 

The answering smile was blinding. “Good! I’m happy. I saw it and thought of you right away!” It was a powerful admission, a one-hit KO. Did he know how much power he had over Victor’s heart? Could Hop tell?

“I! Am glad! To hear it!” It took all of his willpower to not slap his cheeks after such an embarrassing mangling of the Galarian language. Why was he like this? Couldn’t the gods give him  _ some  _ charisma? 

“This was really good!” Hop gestured to his empty plate, like it never happened. “Did you like yours?”

Victor nodded. “It was great, thank you.” 

“Cool!” He rose and stretched. “Ah, that’s better. Not to be rude, but I gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back!” 

He wrinkled his nose at those words. “Okay.” 

Unwilling to twiddle his thumbs waiting, Victor went to sip more tea, only to realize that it was empty. Luckily, the cafe had a teapot right there for their convenience. It  _ did  _ look kinda shabby though…

He knelt to take a closer look. The poor thing was taped together! “Aw. They ought to replace you.” He whispered to the teapot. “I’ll try to sneak them some money, just for you. It’ll just be between us, okay?”

“Boo.” said the Polteageist.

“Aaaa!” screamed the boy. 

“Are you okay, sir?” The waitress returned, gnawing at her lip. 

“Y-Yes! I’m alright. I must be seeing things.” Victor said quickly. He didn’t know a lot about the species, but he didn’t want it to be thrown out for ‘being a pest’. 

“You  _ scared  _ me.” He hissed under his breath at the Polteageist once she left. “Where do you get off being real, huh? I thought you were a cheap horror movie character!”

“Boo!” It nudged him. 

“What’s wrong?” 

It butted his hand even harder, now looking upset. “Boo!!!” 

Victor drank in the sight of the Pokémon. “You look like a Matilda.” He observed idly. “What’s wrong, Matilda?” 

The newly christened Matilda bit him with relish. 

“Ow!” He sucked on the small wound, wincing. “Why are you being so mean?” 

“Sir, you can’t have your Polteageist out in here.” 

He frowned. “Matilda isn’t causing any trouble. Besides, they’re not mine.” 

“Well,” she frowned back, only better, “if that’s not just a lie, you’ll have to catch  _ Matilda  _ or let me take them out of here. They’re pests.” 

“But  _ why _ ?”

Instantly, all of the teapots began to float. 

The waitress paled. “ _ They spread. _ ” She said, full of the kind of horror he mostly saw in those films Gloria loved so much. 

In the next minute, Victor was drenched in cold tea, ushered out of the cafe, and stuck with a new Pokémon. “And don’t come back!” She shouted before slamming the door on him. 

Hop walked out a few seconds later. “I leave you alone for, like, five seconds and you get banned for life?!?” He sounded more amazed than upset, but Victor winced anyway. 

“It wasn’t even my fault!” He protested. “I-”

“I know! It’ll make a funny story later, I promise.” He slung an arm around Victor’s shoulders. “And hey, why are you so  _ tense _ ? Loosen up!” 

_ It’s you. It’s always been you.  _

Matilda made a face. Hop copied it. “Why are they glaring at me?” He asked, confused. “I didn’t do anything.” 

“Don’t-”

They spat tea right in his face.

“... Provoke them.” He finished his futile warning, defeated. 

Hop wiped his face with his hands, eyes shining. “ _ Wicked _ ! You gotta add them to your roster or something!” 

“Or something.” Victor repeated. 

The other boy grinned at him. A part of him became lighter by a fraction. “Have I told you how great you are lately, Vic?”

“... No?” He really ought to start counting how many times he blushed during simple conversations.  _ It can’t be that deep.  _ He thought.  _ I’m just being silly. _

“Well, you are! I should tell you more often.” He ruffled his hair. “It’d do you good! See you in the next town?”

“Always!"

“Woo!” Hop cheered. “It’s a date!”

“IT’S A WHAT?!?”

But Hop was already bouncing off into the horizon. 

Victor sighed to himself. “What am I  _ doing _ , Matilda?”

Matilda had no answer. All Matilda had was tea. 

“Riveting. Thank you for that.” He said sarcastically before returning them to their Dusk Ball. He was going to start dreaming of tea at this rate. 

“Now,” he mumbled to himself as he pulled out his phone, “how can I get a Polteageist to like me?” No matter what happened now, it was the start of something strange and new. 

... Even if Victor was just beginning a legacy of being banned from pretty tea shops. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank my friends for pushing me to write what I want to write; without them, I'd just spend my days daydreaming about words rather than putting them into action.
> 
> Anyway, the explanation for this update is that I love Hop. The end. If you were wondering why this is tagged as 'Mutual Pining', well... this is the reason! As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy. ^^

Hop was today years old when he realized he could just ask Victor out to love themed cafes without arousing any sort of suspicion.

Of course, if asked, he’d claim it was his idea alone. He had  _ some  _ pride. And, naturally, that was a boldfaced lie.

Really, when it came down to solid facts, Leon had either alarmingly perfect or utterly abysmal timing. It just depended on your perspective.

_ Take him to a nice place _ ,  _ he said. Have some cash, he said.  _ Hop watched Victor fidget, somewhat remorseful in the face of his slight discomfort. Was he going to be sick? Curse his sudden impulses! Would it be rude to ask him what was wrong?

“You l-look nice today!” His rival shouted suddenly. Oh. That explained it.

See, after a good deal of self-reflection (and loads and loads of ice cream), he had a spiritual awakening, maybe even a  _ revelation _ . It turned out that, yeah, he had a crush the size of the moon on Victor. That wasn’t important. The truly great thing about it was that he wasn’t alone! Once he noticed the signs, it was easy to put together that his interest was, at the very least, reciprocated almost as much. 

The issue was that Hop had no idea how to say so.

He put down his menu, no longer having to hide his glances from the other boy. “Thanks! You too!” He exclaimed. There was nothing easier than saying those things; Victor always managed to wear the coolest outfits.

Watching his rival duck behind his menu was incredibly cute.  _ There we go, Hop! Another successful flirting attempt!  _

“Whatcha gonna order?” He asked, knowing too well that his rival was prone to getting lost in a spiral of thought. “It’s my treat!”

“Oh, no, no, don’t bother!” Victor replied in a rush. The blush really added the whole image together. “I can pay for myself! I have a little cash on me.” 

Typical Victor, always thinking about other people. Wasn’t it okay to be selfish just this once? He was pouting before he could do anything about it. “But I want to!”

Hop wasn’t fond of pushing his rival like this. It didn’t bring him any satisfaction in the long run. Money was burning a hole in his pocket though, and he wouldn’t accept anything less than using it to make him happy.

He looked put out, but Hop knew he was about to relent. “... Okay. But only because I know you’ll poke me until I let you.” Hey, guilty as charged. “Can I please pay the tip at least?” 

“Don’t sweat it, Vic.” He said with a shake of his head. “You don’t have to do a thing.” 

(Part of him wanted to add on that he could just sit there and look pretty, but said part was a traitor and could not be trusted.)

Victor glanced away, cheeks blazing. “I think I’ll have their red velvet cake.” 

Hop gazed at him with all the fondness he could muster, glad that he was too flustered to look at his face. “Drink?” He probed, even though the answer was plain as day.

“Lavender tea if they have it, Earl Grey if they don’t.”  _ Bullseye!  _ He thought smugly.  _ I’m so good. _

Taking a gamble, he winked. “Roger that, captain!”  _ Alright, now dial it back.  _ “I’ll go order; gotta walk up to the front.”

He didn’t wait to see Victor’s reaction, no matter how adorable it’d be. There’d be time for that later. Luckily, only two people were in line; being alone with his thoughts and an awkward cashier was the worst.

One of the people there did a double take. “Hey, are you the champion’s brother?” They asked. “You look familiar.”

“Nah, I’m a clone!” He quipped. “We gotta eat too!”

They started to gawk, much to his distaste. Why did everyone always  _ do  _ that? “Hey, can I have your autograph?” 

“Sorry, but no.” Hop apologized, not at all sincere about it. “I’m busy with my date!”

He was already ordering when what he said slapped him in the face.  _ Rest in peace, Rotom.  _ He thought silently, already preparing himself to give the poor Pokémon a lot of extra charge as an apology. His social media accounts were going to  _ explode _ .

Rushing back to his rival provided a much needed distraction. Victor was pretty much glowing, no doubt beaming over something going on in his head.  _ Okay, Hop! Think of something witty. Penny for your thoughts? No, no, he might not tell me then. Hm… _

“What are you smiling about over there?”  _ Nice, he’s blushing again! Nailed it! Point two for me! _

“N-Nothing! I was thinking about contacts!”

  
  
_ What, like a spy’s?  _ “Like… in your phone?” 

Victor blanched. “No, cosmetic ones!” He paused, worrying away at his lip. Hop watched the action with worried fascination. “Uh, do you think I’d look good with pink ones?”

Normally, he’d gloss over his real thoughts on his looks with a basic answer. It was mostly because of his cowardice; he was never quite sure if he’d cross an invisible line and ruin the friendship forever. But, Victor was asking, and he sounded  _ so  _ vulnerable… Surely it wouldn’t hurt to be honest just this once?

“Hm… Nah!” He felt an immense amount of pride in himself for daring to comment properly. “You’re cute enough without them.”   
  


A cocktail of emotions, the majority being shock and embarrassment, settled on his rival’s face. Internally, Hop cringed; was that revulsion there too, or was his brain blowing things out of proportion? He didn’t want to risk it. “At least, that’s what your fans say!”

Victor’s face fell.  _ Way to go, asshole.  _ His mind whispered.  _ Please shut up.  _ He whispered back.

“Thanks.” He had to strain to hear it, but the hint of frustration shone through.

His own face began to mirror his. “What’s wrong, Vic? Even if they like the all-natural look, you can still do what you want! Who cares what they think?” Was it the fans?  _ Him?  _ Hop only had best guesses at his disposal, and even they felt inadequate for the situation at hand.

“Don’t worry.” An empty platitude. “It’s not about the fans. I’m good. I don’t really pay attention to mine anyway. Yours are funnier!” His smile was alarmingly empty. Maybe it was the mention of fame after all; the other boy had never been fully comfortable with his newfound popularity. No wonder he ignored all the flirting and support.

This struck him as a terrible plan, however. “You really should though! The more followers you have, the more sponsors will pay attention to you!” 

Hop knew a thing or two about sponsors. Or ten. Coordinators and trainers alike had to worry about funding their endeavors. He had spent many a class stressing over finances, fickle ratings, and fans. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that other people were more unused to that competitive field.

That was all in the past though. They were in the here and now.

“Well, I don’t- Thank you!” Oh, there was the waitress. “I don’t really think I  _ need _ sponsors. I’m not that special.”

“Thanks.” He smiled at the lady warmly, grateful for the moment to gather his thoughts. “It’s not  _ about  _ being special. No one is! It’s about giving yourself opportunities! You gotta network  _ somehow _ .” Hop scolded him. Staying relevant and maintaining connections was the lifeblood of any celebrity, even kids in the Gym Challenge! He had to figure out how to get through to him!

“Still. I’m fine, I promise. I won’t fall behind, and I won’t let you down.” And there it was. He could picture an entire life of reassuring Victor that his actions were enough for everyone, not just himself. That wasn’t what the boy needed to hear right now though. 

“Oh, I know  _ that. _ You never could.”  _ And it’s ridiculous to suggest otherwise. _

His rival squeaked, turned red, and immediately shoved a chunk of cake into his mouth. Unable to contain himself, he giggled, all smiles. Man, he really liked that boy.

It only took a minute or two before Victor was driven to distraction. “Oh! Do you like the cafe?” Hop blurted out, immediately too aware of his sweaty palms. “I never asked! It’s spring themed, I think.” 

Only an idiot would think that, though, and his best friend was no idiot.  ** _La rose de l’amour_ ** was an  _ extremely  _ obvious name. “M-More like love themed…” The reply was gentle, even as he trembled in his seat.

For a moment, the world seemed to tilt off its axis by a few degrees. “Well… I guess, yeah. B-But you  _ like  _ that stuff, right?” Vic was always the one voting for romance films at their sleepovers in recent years. Did he somehow get it wrong?

“Of course I do! You picked a lovely place!” Leave it to Vic to say something so nice with the conviction of an authority figure.

“Good! I’m happy. I saw it and thought of you right away!” 

(Weighing honesty against fear was never easy, but the boy sitting across from him made it all worth it.)

Victor flailed about for a moment before replying. “I! Am glad! To hear it!” 

Hop grinned, waving at his empty plate with a dirty fork. The less he acknowledged that little mess, the quicker Vic would calm down. “This was really good! Did you like yours?”

“It was great, thank you.” He said with a small nod. The boy never seemed to have a bad word for cake. 

A fire burned, deep in his chest. 

In a flash, Hop stood, feigning a need to stretch. “Cool!” He ran through the motions. “Ah, that’s better. Not to be rude, but I gotta take a leak. I’ll be right back!” Vic was put off by any mention of ‘gross stuff’, even though he could handle watching live births. (He was just the right amount of peculiar in Hop’s eyes.)

Predictably, Victor made a face. “Okay.”

Hop did not have to ‘take a leak’. Was freaking out in a bathroom stall classy? Absolutely not. Was he doing it? Of course! What else could he do after spending so much time being subjected to pure, awkward bliss? He had to wonder if people like his brother felt things so deeply every day, or if it all became routine after a while. Would his affections devolve into a comfortable pattern once he took that extra step?

Dimly, he realized that he was scared shitless for the future.

Growing up, it had been him, Vic, and Gloria against the world. The coordinator, breeder, and trainer, all talented, all worthy of praise. Then he quit. Suddenly, they were a trio, all after the same goal. It had been simple to ignore the consequences of his actions when he was younger, but he wasn’t the same person anymore. Along the way, he had hurt people, even himself. He could always do that again. 

Victor didn’t deserve that.

He’d just… tell him another time.  _ Yeah, _ that’s what he’d do. There’d be another day, and another sort-of-but-not-really date. Once he learned how to say it properly, he’d let him know how it felt.

_ I mean, you will unless it’s too late. Is that what you tell yourself to feel better? _

Just as he was snapping at his brain to be quiet, the shrieks started.

* * *

_ Many Polteageist make their homes inside hotels and restaurants, disguising themselves and hiding among the tableware. They can pour their power into leftover tea and create even more of their kind, so they’re often treated as pests. _

_\- _an excerpt from an unpublished Galarian paper on Polteageist and their behavior

* * *

“I leave you alone for, like, five seconds and you get banned for life?!?” Was there  _ anything  _ Victor couldn’t do? 

“It wasn’t even my fault!” His rival argued, grimacing. “I-”

“I know!” Hop happily interrupted him. “It’ll make a funny story later, I promise.” He slung an arm around Victor’s shoulders. 

The other boy stood very still. Trying his best not to frown, he channeled some of his happiness and chuckled. “And hey, why are you so  _ tense _ ? Loosen up!” 

Right as he said those magic words, a Polteageist bobbed into view, scowling. “Why are they glaring at me? I didn’t do anything.” Hop mimicked its irritable expression, perplexed.

Victor’s eyes widened. “Don’t-”

The Pokémon spat tea out right in his face. 

“... Provoke them.” 

He got now why Victor smelled so strongly of the beverage. Frankly, he was enthralled. “ _ Wicked _ ! You gotta add them to your roster or something!” 

“Or something.”

He beamed at the other boy. Everything was good. “Have I told you how great you are lately, Vic?” There was always that resolve to shower him with praise, but even his own mind conspired to hold him back.

“... No?” Victor was flushing again. How many points was that now? Hop had lost track.

He reached out to ruffle his hair, reveling in the texture. “Well, you are! I should tell you more. It’d do you good!”

  
  
His rival leaned into the touch. It took all of his willpower to move his hand away. “See you in the next town?” Hop asked, full of warmth and elation.

Victor’s eyes sparkled in the afternoon light. “Always.” 

“Woo! It’s a date!”

_ SHIT. _

Before either of them could fully finish processing his worst slip of the tongue yet, Hop sprinted away. What was he  _ thinking?  _ First, it was the random fan. And now, he was pulling this crap with Victor himself? Where was the off switch on this thing?!?

  
  
Hopefully, he’d learn how to shut himself up eventually. And, even less likely, he’d learn how to say what he felt in enough time for the next town. 

Hop was today years old when he learned that, while love themed cafes were tempting, the end result was never what you planned it to be. And if those were to be his words of wisdom, he’d stick by them until the day he died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only note I really want to make is that the Polteageist thing is from the official website for Sword and Shield. I don't believe in committing plagiarism! It's very bad! Don't do it!!! I just like referencing Pokedex entires.

**Author's Note:**

> ... I forgot to mention that Poké Magazine is People Magazine. 
> 
> Anyway, I made a dumb Matilda joke with Victor that wasn't going to go anywhere until I felt the power of happiness course through me and wrote... this. After writing three fics today. I weep.
> 
> Almost forgot this as well, but a very old fic of mine details how rivalry in Galar has many facets, and how each person views it differently. I explored it a little in my last Trainshipping fic, but here it is again. Yay!
> 
> I marked this down as mutual pining because, if you look carefully, you can see all the instances where Hop is reciprocating, just in his own way. I NEED to write something in his POV soon.
> 
> I... think that's it!
> 
> As always, my Tumblr is bi-hop if you wanna chat about Pokémon. Thanks so much!


End file.
